Why I felt happy when I lost my wallet

I was in a cab pulling up to Melbourne Airport on my way home. I felt around in my backpack for my wallet and it wasn't there.

No probs. I checked my overnight bag. It didn't show up.

Hmmm. I started decanting stuff all over the back seat of the taxi, rummaging, trying to unearth my wallet that just had to be there…. but it wasn't.

Shit.

How am I going to pay for this?

Heart rate increasing. It's not fucking here.

Alright, I don't like this, but I have to find a way out of this cab at least….

First objective, pay for the cab and don't miss my flight.

I'm a problem solver, I can do this.

I ask if I can use credit card numbers that I got over the phone from my husband. No.

Ok, what about some sort of invoice? No.

Ok, what about a bank transfer? Sure, that could work.

I'm so freaking glad at this point that my phone has battery!

I type in all the details and then… I have to receive on of those SMS codes to process the goddam transaction. But the only number I can choose to send it to is my husband's phone. He is out 4-wheel-driving on some bush track in rural Queensland. Fuck I hope this works!

I wait a minute. Then another. Heart rate increasing.Where the hell could my wallet be?

My husband sends through the code without any prompting from me (If I closed the bank app to call him I would have lost all the cab driver's details and needed to start again!) He psychically, magically, intuitively knew what I needed. Legend.

Now I'm just overjoyed that I'm actually going to be able to pull this off and get home!

Ok, payment done!

Fuck yeah, I may not have my wallet but seriously, some serendipitous shit just went down, right? That's worth feeling good about!

I only have carry-on luggage so I don't have to talk to anyone at the airport and deal with the lack-of-ID problem. Bonus!

Even though it felt as if that incident in the cab dragged on forever, in reality in was really only about 5 minutes, so here I am, at the airport with some time to kill before my flight.

Maybe I'll just grab a smoothie.

Oh yeah, I can't do that without the money in my wallet. That's right.

So I've proven that I'm a problem solver, what can I do to locate my wallet?

I call the hotel I stayed in but it didn't turn up in my room.

I call the friends I was staying with but they haven't seen it.

Hmmm. I really don't want to have to replace all of my cards. Damn I'm thirsty, maybe I should just grab a smoothie. Oh yeah. Hmmm.

I sat on the floor next to all the loners charging their phones and laptops at the power points. They look as tired as I feel.

I watch the people trotting along the concourse. I zone out and listen to the messy rhythm of footsteps and chatter. How should I feel?

My brain says to feel stressed but my heart says not to worry. Heart's don't lie. I'm up for the challenge. I think back over the past 15 minutes and chuckle to myself at the awesomeness of just being able to catch my flight home.

Then I smile when I think about how unlike me it is NOT to freak out about something like this. Ha! I guess this acceptance stuff really does have a flow-on effect.

All that's left is gratitude.

Gratitude for a weekend away in Melbourne by myself. Gratitude for the fact that I'll get home without hassle and be able to cuddle my daughter and husband today. Gratitude for smart phones and power points in the airport.

I take a deep breath and feel peaceful. This YesQuest is really working. I'm not fighting my life anymore.

I'll sort out the card-replacement crap out later. I don't need to clog up my brain with it now.

I brought myself back to a mantra that I always give to my clients "I don't like this situation, but I'm willing to accept it." Yep. Nailed it.

With a clear mind, I watch life unfold around me, as people who've had way more sleep than me clip-clop along.

P E A C E

Then...

Holy Shit, I totally know where my wallet is!!!!!

I vigorously unzip my bag and shamelessly unpack the contents onto the tiles for all to see.

I open my toiletry bag, inside of it is a little make-up pouch that I didn't check when I was flustered in the cab. Now I actually remember shoving my wallet in there last night before going out (and after touching up my eyes, haha) thinking that it was a safe place to leave it so I wouldn't forget it in the morning.